Wednesday, January 11, 2012

It's called guayusa tea, it's from the Amazon rainforest of Ecuador, it's being sold by a company called Runa, which is run by a couple of guys from Brooklyn, and it's the beverage you will probably be drinking from now on.

This is more than just a hipster trend. Guayusa has been cultivated for over 2,000 years by the indigenous families of Ecuador, who treasure it for it's ability to both keep them up all night to hunt, and to remember and understand their dreams in the early morning.

Guayusa has more caffeine than any tea and double the antioxidants of green tea. Its flavor, according to those who have tried it (we haven't) is pleasant, mild and sweet. The native Kichwa people say the tea gives them "mental strength and courage," which in English translates to "Kick Ass Tea."

The nice thing about Runa is that the company purchases 100% of its guayusa leaves from indigenous farming families (roughly 1,000 farmers), and puts money into a “social premium fund” for workers to use for development projects.

According to Huff Post, the partnering Runa Foundation has two goals: to allow Kichwa farmers to "participate in the global economy using renewable resources" and to conserve the rainforest.

The company's socially-conscious business plan has won all sorts of awards and grants, according to the New York Times, and the tea is now available at several outlets including Whole Foods, Kings, the Vitamin Shoppe and Wegmans.